CE 316:DESIGN OF STEEL

STRUCTURES

4. COMPRESSION MEMBERS
Introduction
 Steel compression members, commonly
referred as stanchions, include struts and
columns.
 Because of the phenomenon of buckling, one
can differentiate column into two types
namely;

1. Short column
 These are columns which have little or no
tendency to buckle.
Introduction Cont…
 A short column will fail due to material
failure
2. Slender columns
 These are columns which are prone to
buckle at compressive stresses that are
below the compressive strength of the
material.
 A slender column will fail due to
buckling.
 Short and Slender Columns

A Short Column will fail

due to material failure A Slender Column will
fail due to buckling
Short and Slender Columns Cont…

Measures to prevent buckling of the

slender column

1. Providing lateral restraints

2. Limiting the load which is to be carried
by the column.
DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS
( See section 4.7)

 Load carrying capacity of a compression

member is determined by;

1. Slenderness ratio
2. Strength of the material
DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS
(Cont.)

 The Design Strength is as given in section

3.1.1 and table 9 BS5950

 Slenderness is defined as:

 Le

 Where: Le= effective Length

r
r = radius of gyration
DESIGN OF COMPRESSION MEMBERS
(Cont.)

 The guidelines for determining the

effective length are given in 4.7.3

 Effective lengths for standard conditions

of restraint are given in table 22
Table 22 of BS 5950 :Part1 :2000
Compression Resistance 4.7.4
 The applied compressive force should not
exceed the compression resistance Pc which
is given by:

(a) For class 1 plastic, class 2 compact or

class 3 semi compact sections: Pc = Ag.pc

(b) For class 4 slender sections: Pc = Aeff.pcs

 Compression Resistance 4.7.4 (cont.)
where:
Aeff is the effective cross sectional area from 3.6
Ag is the gross sectional Area (see 3.4.1)
pc is the compressive Strength (see 4.7.5)
pcs is the value of pc for a reduced slenderness of
(Aeff/Ag)0.5 in which  is based on the radius of
gyration r of the gross section.
The Compressive Strength pc (see 4.7.5)

 Depends on the slenderness  and the design

strength py
 May be established first by reference to
tables 23 and Figure 14. The table and the
figure indicate which of the four tables 24(a)
to (d) is relevant to the case.
 For sections fabricated from plate by welding,
the value of py should be reduced by
20N/mm2
Fig.14 BS 5950
Table 23
BS 5950
Table 24
BS 5950
SUMMARY OF DESIGN PROCEDURES FOR
COMPRESSION MEMBERS (AXIALLY
LOADED MEMBERS)
1. Determine ultimate axial load Fc
2. Select a trial section.
3. Determine the radius of gyration (r) and gross area
Ag from steel tables.
4. Determine the effective length LE
5. Calculate the slenderness ratio (λ= LE/r)
6. Select a suitable strut curve from tables.
7. Determine compressive strength, Pc using tables.
8. Calculate the compressive resistance of the member,
Pc = Ag.pc
9. Check Fc ≤ Pc, If unsatisfactory return to 2
Example

 A proposed 5m long internal column in

a ‘rigid’ jointed steel structure is to be
loaded concentrically with 1000KN dead
and 1000KN imposed load. Assuming
that fixity at the top and bottom of the
column gives effective rotational
restraints, design column section
assuming the structure will be braced.
Solution

Factored loading; Fc= 1.4x 1000 + 1.6x 1000

= 3000KN
Effective Length
 For the braced case, the column is assumed

to be effectively held in position at both ends,

and restrained in direction at both ends. It
will buckle about the weak (y-y) axis.
LE = 0.7 x L = 0.7 x 5 = 3.5m
Section Selection
This column design can only really be done by trial and
error.
Initial trial
Try 254 x 254 x 107 UC
Py= 265Nmm-2
ry =65.7mm
Ag = 13700mm2
Λ= LE/ry = 3500/65.7 =53
From tables pc = 208Nmm-2
 Then
Pc= Ag.pc = 13700 x 208/1000
= 2850kN < 3000kN Not Ok

Second trial.
Try 305 x 305 x 118 UC
Py= 265Nmm-2
ry =77.5mm
Ag = 15000mm2
Λ= LE/ry = 3500/77.5 =45
From tables pc = 222 Nmm-2
Pc= Ag.pc = 15000 x 222/1000
= 3330kN > 3000 kN Ok
COLUMNS WITH BENDING MOMENTS

 According to BS 5950, such members should

be checked for local(yield or buckling)
capacity at the points of greatest bending
moment and axial load, which usually occur
at the member ends.

 In addition, the member should be checked

for overall buckling.
Local capacity check
 The purpose of this check is to ensure that
nowhere across the section does the steel
stress exceed yield.
 For semi-compact and slender cross-sections
and for the simplified approach for compact
cross sections, the following relationship
should be satisfied:
F Mx My
  1
Ag p y M cx M cy
Where;
F is the applied axial load
Ag is the cross section area
Py is the design strength
Mx is the applied moment about the major axis
Mcx is the moment capacity about the major axis in the
absence of axial load
My is the applied moment about the minor axis and
Mcy is the moment capacity about the minor axis in the
absence of axial load.
 Overall buckling Check
 Buckling due to imposed axial load, lateral
torsional buckling due to imposed moment, or a
combination of buckling and lateral torsional
buckling are additional possible modes of failure
in most practical columns in steel structures .
 A simplified approach for calculating the overall
buckling resistance of columns involves satisfying
the following equation:
F mM x mM y
  1
Ag p c Mb pyZ y
Where;
pc is the buckling compressive strength of the member
m is the equivalent uniform moment factor
Mx is the applied moment about the major axis
Mb is the buckling resistance moment capacity about
the major axis.
Zy is the elastic section modulus about the minor axis
My is the applied moment about the minor axis.
 Example
 Select a suitable column section in grade S 275
steel to support a factored axial concentric load of
2000kN and factored bending moments of 100kNm
about the major axis, and 20kNm about the minor
axis, applied at the top of the column. The column
is 10m long and is fully fixed against rotation at
the top and bottom, and the floor it supports are
braced against sway.
 Solution
INITIAL SECTION SELECTION
305 X 305 X 118 UC:
py = 265 Nmm-2, Ag= 150cm2, ry= 7.75cm
Sx = 1950 cm3, Sy = 892cm3 Zy = 587cm3
x = 16.2 u= 0.851

Mcx = py.Sx = 265 x 1950/1000 = 516.75 kNm

Mcy = py.Sy = 265 x 892/1000 = 236.38 kNm
LOCAL CAPACITY CHECK

F Mx My
  1
Ag p y M cx M cy
 OVERALL BUCKLING CHECK

Axial buckling
Effective length, LE = 0.7L = 7m
Λ = LE/ry = 7000/77.5 =90

From tables, relevant compression strength values for

buckling about the y-y axis are obtained from 24(c) of BS
5950 from which pc =139N mm-2. Then
Lateral torsional buckling
Ratio of end moment, β=1, hence m=1, from tables n=1.
λ/x = 90/16.2= 5.5
From tables v= 0.79

λLT =nuvλ = 1 x 0.851 x 0.79 x 90 =61

From tables pb = 205Nmm-2
Then Mb = pb.Sx = 205 x 1950/1000 = 400 kNm
mMx/Mb =1 x 100/400 =0.25
mMy/py.Zy = (1 x 20 x 103)/(265 x 587) = 0.128

OVERALL BUCKLING
F mM x mM y
  1
Ag p c Mb pyZ y

= 0.96 + 0.25 +0.13 =1.34>1

Hence, a bigger section should be selected.
SECOND SECTION SELECTION

Try; 356 X 368 X 177 UC:

py = 265 Nmm-2, Ag= 226 cm2, ry= 9.52cm
Sx = 3460 cm3, Sy = 1670cm3 Zy = 1100cm3
x = 15 u= 0.844

Mcx = py.Sx = 265 x 3460/1000 = 916.9 kNm

Mcy = py.Sy = 265 x 1670/1000 = 442.55 kNm
LOCAL CHECK CAPACITY

F Mx My
  1
Ag p y M cx M cy
OVERALL BUCKLING CHECK

Axial buckling
Effective length, LE = 0.7L = 7m
Λ = LE/ry = 7000/95.2 =74

From tables, relevant compression strength values for

buckling about the y-y axis are obtained from 24(c)
of BS 5950 from which pc =169Nmm-2. Then
Lateral torsional buckling

Ratio of end moment, β=1, hence m=1, from tables n=1.

λ/x = 74/15= 4.93
From tables v= 0.82

λLT =nuvλ = 1 x 0.844 x 0.82 x 74 =51

From tables pb = 229Nmm-2
Then Mb = pb.Sx = 229 x 3460/1000 = 792 kNm
mMx/Mb =1 x 100/792 =0.126
mMy/py.Zy = (1 x 20 x 103)/(265 x 1100) = 0.069

OVERALL BUCKLING
F mM x mM y
  1
Ag p c Mb pyZ y

= 0.524 + 0.126 +0.069 =0.719<1

Hence, a 356 x 368 x 177 UC section is satisfactory.